Tom M Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Can anyone tell me what colour a 1944 Willys MB would have been in British Army service? Also any recommendations on where to get paint? I have a '44 Willys that is an ex-Airborne Jeep. Does anyone know if they were re-sprayed when the airborne conversions were carried out, or would it have remained in the factory colour? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoseman Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Can anyone tell me what colour a 1944 Willys MB would have been in British Army service? Also any recommendations on where to get paint? I have a '44 Willys that is an ex-Airborne Jeep. Does anyone know if they were re-sprayed when the airborne conversions were carried out, or would it have remained in the factory colour? Thanks, Some would be repainted but most left in the factory colours I would imagine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pearson Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Green ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmmoMan Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Jim Clark at Allied Forces does a lovely light olive and he's not far from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 A few years after I acquired my British Army Jeep in 1986 I proceeded with a chassis up rebuild and respray in British Mid Bronze Green. As the years went by, it occurred to me that they would have gone into service in the colour that they were delivered in of course. So I've bought some of that nice Firwood brand US light Olive from Jeep Parts UK and am trying to stop rebuilding motorcycles long enough to lift the body off for another re-paint job. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon king Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) I went for BS381c No 298 olive drab - as a readily availably proxy for SCC15 (the British version of olive drab but more green)- on the basis that the jeep was originally in the M150xxxx series of wartime REME or contractor rebuilds Edited February 20, 2015 by simon king Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I would agree with that Simon. I guess as soon as any paint was applied in a REME workshop it would have been one of the BS colours. I can't image that they would have bothered re-painting them from new. Although they did waist time and money replacing the nice US sealed beam headlamps with the old Butler tractor headlamps. Just so the bulbs were replaceable I gather?? Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikestarmer Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Some would be repainted but most left in the factory colours I would imagine Jeeps in UK were usually left in the U.S. colour Olive Drab No.9. The British wartime BS was BS.987C not BS.381C that is being used now for restorations. BS.987C was withdrawn in 1954 and some of the colours in BS.987 were continued into BS.381C. However the 381 colours are NOT the wartime colours, merely their equivalents. BS.298 is somewhat darker and more green than the original BS.987 SCC.15 Olive Drab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks for all the useful posts, especially the photos. I have gone for 298 olive drab for the Jeep (just the wheels for now) and a deep bronze green for all the add on brackets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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